Wherever you are, whatever you do

My sleeping pattern became out of whack just before the clock moved forward, so now it's even worse than before. For no reason I don't seem to be able to sleep before 5am recently.

Today storme and I went to our monthly cake meet with a bunch of friends. It's just something we do to make sure we don't only see each other at conventions or other events where everyone's too busy to chat. Also, we've become so reliant on Facebook these days it's too easy to think we're up to date with what's happening in our friends' lives when all we've seen are vignetted pictures of their dinners and posts about how much they all supposedly like cocks. XD;

Anyway, before we left home I was deciding on what to wear, and out of curiosity tried on a pair of shorts I bought from the motherland, size L, that had always been too small for me. They now fit!

This brings me to the topic of my diet. I'm a UK size 8/10, a pretty good size and weight for my height. Apparently I'm still too large for Chinese size L but Chinese women are typically shorter than me so hey. But anyway, I've been on a diet that's teaching my body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. At first it might seem like there is no reason for me to diet/lose weight, but there are really two.

One, and this is the shallow one, is that there's a cosplay I want to do this year that requires me to become a skinny boy.

Two, I've had a bad back since 2001 and it's only been getting worse. There had been times when I strained it and I wasn't able to walk or stand properly for days. Most recently, I did it in bending down to pick up something. I hadn't even touched anything yet and I wasn't bending very far down, but my back just went. The doctor told me before that to pick up anything at all, I should always use my knees because when you bend from your waist, the back muscles are supporting the weight of all your upper body, not just the thing you're picking up. But of course I forget about that, especially when all I wanted to do was pick up an empty plastic bag. >_>

But if I lose some weight, even if it's just a kilo or two, that's less weight my back has to carry.

So my diet involves eating a lot of vegetables and a lot of meat. Fat is also fine, because my body's learned to burn that for energy now. Loads of meat for muscle-building protein. I discovered that protein powder + instant coffee granules + water/almond milk + ice in a blender = pretty damn tasty drink. But there's practically no sugar or carbohydrates in my diet at the moment, so while I'm (hopefully) gaining muscle, I'm also losing body fat. This is a good thing.

Since the start of my diet I'm now about 4kg lighter. That's far easier on my back and when I exercise I shouldn't be tired as quickly because I'm not having to carry as much. I think I can't get much lighter than this (and I wouldn't look good if I do), in fact exercising will build muscles so that my weight would go up again. But that'd be /quality/ weight. Muscles on my back will hopefully get stronger so I won't break so easily.

But yes, the cake meet tonight broke my diet because of the scones. Ah well, I can get back into it.

On the writing front, I'm 43 chapters (!) into the TLR/RoF crossover and the end is in sight. I'll be very sad when it's all over. :( There is currently a dilemma because I don't want to split up a couple, but Storme said I'm not allowed "another OT3" because "there's already an OT3 in this fic" which... is and isn't correct. But one of them really can't choose, the other, because of personality and past events, would not force anyone to choose, and the third person, well, he has many very correct reasons for doing nothing about it as well. MAYBE NONE OF YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER, MON DIEU.

Storme and I have booked flights to go to HK at the end of May, where there will be Glay concert and lots and lots of tasty food. It's quite hard for me to imagine what sorts of things a tourist would want to see/experience in HK, but we're slowly compiling a list. Still, it's going to be pretty freeform I'm sure. We just aren't the kind of travellers who must have a fixed route with a fixed list of things to do, it's too constricting.

I think I'll go back to trying to find a way out for the OT3 now...

I agree with everything storme said here about Resonance of Fate so far. Perhaps I just liked getting my ass kicked. XD The fights are actually hard, you know? Like how The Last Remnant was. Unlike how the last few installments of FF were. And there aren't any forced elements like how FF felt obliged to insert the eidolons although they were hardly useful.

Cosplay things are progressing. I'm trying to get Flynn ready for Hyper Japan (and then wear again to Cosplay Ball) at the end of October, which should not be a problem unless something go horribly wrong with the armour. Armour making is surprisingly easy so far, I guess Flynn's one isn't complicated, which is good for a first-timer (because Ed's automail doesn't count.) For October Expo I already have Daryan almost ready, minus some white paint on his shoes and putting his hair together - I'm putting that off because I've got no place to store a cockhead without messing the hair up, so I'll just do it nearer the time. Storme and I also intended to be Beaker & Bunsen (The Muppets) at Expo, but unless we can find a spotter, we won't be doing it. Wearing bulky stuff with obscured vision is self-harm enough, if it's Expo where the crowds are manic, it's just absolute NO without help. (Unless we wear it just for the masquerade.)

The home purchase is going well. The deposit went to the solicitors today. My dad said that if I'm without a job come October, he'll help me pay my mortgage. How lucky am I? Then I'll live off Storme's rent and income from Coscraft until I find steady work (or if the shop starts making enough sales, then screw steady work!) It's doable.

I have plans for the shop. I know what people want to buy and where to source it from, it's a matter of having the money to make the investment first.

Hm. It's weird how almond nuts taste fine and ground almond also tastes fine in cakes, but when it's almond flakes or almond puddings, I really don't like the flavour. It's so... almondy. XD

That TLR Utena AU? It gets more and more disturbing in my head.

The chocolate fondant on Friday worked really well. Tonight's stem ginger puddings, not so well. Luckily I've only opened one of them, so I can put the rest back and steam them some more.

[edit] Mmmmmm now the pudding's perfect. /o/

( Not just Spock. MR. Spock. )

On a completely separate note, look who's been looking at my cosplays! XD

http://www.cakes-direct.co.uk/
http://www.beverlyhillsbakery.com/

*wibbles at flist*

Also, I saw the tortie cat again today. She meowed at me and sniffed my finger, but I had to hurry to the train.

Haven't seen Thomas ** for a long time since I don't go that way these days, but maybe I should try to find her.

** Thomas is another tortie down the road and therefore a she. But I named her Thomas.

So many things to do (fuck inflation forecasts), yet the day is going so slowly.

A few things.

Thing number 1: Allan ♥ Torgal ♥ Emma ♥ David ♥ Rush and they all love each other because none of them got enough love in their childhoods. </Chicago>

And...

Dave: I shall not deny him the chance of vengeance. We can only kill Hermeien once, after all.
Rush: Wait, in TLR didn't we kill him twice?
Dave: *head tilt* What is TLR?
Rush: ...never mind. >>

Thing number 2: I pre-ordered The Angel's Game from the bookshop near work. :DDDDD

Thing number 3: I need to give The Gone-Away World another try. The narration annoyed me last time. But sometimes reading is like that. One needs to be in the right sort of mood to enjoy certain styles.

Thing number 4: For years (as in, until recent months) I thought "a couple of" means "a few/some/several"-ish sort of thing, ie, three or more. It never occurred to me that it really means "two" even though "a couple" (as in two people) is, well, two.

Thing number 5: I have apple strudel and it is delicious.

Finished fic. Not sure about this one, it doesn't have the intensity in words as it does in my head. And it doesn't have a title. :D/ Whatever. When Liz returns I shall throw it at her and see what she thinks and get her to transform it into readable English.

I have merigues. And white chocolate ice-cream. Should make more ice-cream, but I need cream for that. Wonder if the shop at the petrol station sells it...

Mmmmm~ gaming time. I love weekends.

I'm not hungry. But I want to eat. Lots and lots of food. Stuff myself silly. Lots of "bad" food like instant noodles, pizzas, chips, onion rings!

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

1. Christmas pressie from thephoenixboy! ♥;; I was suck and unprepared.

2. This morning's attempt to have a mince pie got thwarted because mince pies don't heat up well in microwaves. In fact, they turn into uneatable, disgusting things. Wasted a perfectly good mince pie.

3. switching_it_up reveals are up! Sorry reddwarfer, I didn't really mean to rush you. ♥ My fic was... Signal. :D/ Ta-da~! Surprised? I tried to write an "alternative" vampire fic at first, but it didn't work out.

Also, I r masterful @ guessing!

4. The first thing I did once out of bed this morning was to check if the Fable II DLC is available yet. I'm not even that attached to the game but it's got that nice MMORPG feel to it, without the MMO part. But no, the DLC isn't out yet. I might start on Infinite Undiscovery instead, a Christmas gift from brother-in-law. We had our gift unwrapping done on Saturday because I won't be seeing him or my sister at Christmas.

5. Writing is fun. :) A slow one this time, at least for the first half. And the actual writing will be slow too if I keep on doing what I've been doing: poking at every single dialogue wondering if it sounds right for the character. I do this a lot when I write. For instance, I ask myself, "hmmm, in this situation and setting, would this character ask 'will you do this?', 'will you be doing this?' or 'are you going to do this?' or even 'you will do this?'" For this fic I seem to be doing it even more.

Working title is [Ghosts]. AU with SanaNiou, YanaSana and D1. It's not as horrific as it sounds; it will work, I'm sure of it!

And then there's That AU...

6. I have oshiruko (ie azuki beans) KitKat. It's tasty. Reminds me of red beans desserts, and the azuki frappuccino I had in a Tokyo Starbucks one summer afternoon whilst waiting for giving_ground and elyndys. My sister says the lavendar KitKat one isn't good though.

The box of the oshiruko KitKat (they come in little boxes, as any self-respecting KitKat do, even though there are only 2 double fingers inside) has a picture of KitKat fingers next a bowl of oshiruko dessert. At the corner it says "shashin wa ime-ji desu". No shit, Sherlock. orz

7. giving_ground just sent me a message saying she's in pre-Christmas retail hell. I suggested to imagine everyone as Niou in disguise. Look, that's the best I can come up with, okay? Personally I think it's really good advice...

8. I drew a Yagyuu but I can't be bothered to colour him. >>

Got this from Leila.

1. There are 27 questions. (this is a different meme from the previous one)
2. Next to each number, write only the name of the person who fits
3. Answer each question using someone's name.
4. Don't tell the questions to anyone who isn't doing the meme.

( Meme )

ASK ME FOR THE QUESTIONS. More people should do this meme. It's a fun way to tell people how you appreciate them and encourage others to do the same, I think.

In other news, "Turnip Cake" happened yesterday and it didn't taste bad! Wish I could get better turnips, though.